Titans safety Johnathan Cyprien aims to shore up secondary

Tennessean columnist Joe Rexrode and Titans beat writer Jason Wolf discuss Corey Davis' first day on the field and other important factors from day 2 of Titans training camp.
Autumn Allison/USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee

Titans safety Johnathan Cyprien spent most of his 27th birthday at the team's practice facility for the first day of training camp Saturday.

Most people wouldn't want to celebrate their birthday at their place of work. Even fewer would want to celebrate it in the grueling summer heat of NFL training camp.

But for Cyprien, it's welcomed.

"You can't ask for any other way to spend your birthday than doing what you love," Cyprien said Sunday with a smile. "It kind of dawned on me for a little bit. A lot of guys would complain about spending your birthday in camp, but I'd rather be here in camp playing football than anywhere else at this time of my life."

Titans wide receiver Eric Decker (87) spends time with his wife, country singer Jessie James Decker, as he holds his son, Eric, after a training camp practice at Saint Thomas Sports Park on Sunday, July 30, 2017, in Nashville.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Titans wide receiver Eric Decker spends time with his wife country singer Jessie James Decker and children Eric and Vivianne after a training camp practice at Saint Thomas Sports Park Sunday, July 30, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey (99) pats a kid on the head after giving him an autograph after training camp practice at Saint Thomas Sports Park Sunday, July 30, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

An ankle injury limited Cyprien a bit this summer, but other than that, it's been hard to get him off the football field since he entered the league in 2013. As a second-round pick of the Jaguars, Cyprien has played in and started 60 out of a possible 64 games in four seasons.

"This is a real good team," Cyprien said of the Titans. "We have good guys on the team. It's a real good organization. The coaches are leading us in the right direction, and we're ready to follow."

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The Titans signed former Jaguars strong safety Johnathan Cyprien. The Jags have lost in double digits for six straight seasons.
Jason Wolf / The Tennessean

As recently as 2015, Cyprien's Jaguars finished ahead of the Titans in the division. That 2015 Jaguars team won five games, compared to the Titans' three. But the momentum in the division has shifted since then. Cyprien has joined a team that came within one game of winning the division a year ago, and he expects to seal the deal in 2017.

A lot of the newfound hype the team faces has to do with the offensive personnel. There are the additions at wide receiver in Eric Decker and No. 5 overall pick Corey Davis, both of whom are expected to contribute from day one. They'll join Pro Bowl players DeMarco Murray, Delanie Walker and Taylor Lewan to form what should be an explosive offense, led by third-year quarterback Marcus Mariota.

But the Titans' defense has been somewhat overlooked compared to its offensive counterparts. The team's secondary, in particular, wasn't an area of strength last season, tied for second-worst in passing yards allowed per game. .

That's where Cyprien steps in. He's projected to slide in at strong safety, where he racked up 127 tackles, four pass breakups, a forced fumble recovery and a sack last season.

As far as the rest of his defense, Cyprien isn't worried about the lack of hype.

"We're not one to ask for attention," Cyprien said of his new defense. "At the end of the day, week one hasn't started yet. We'll take care of that when we line up against another team and make people talk about us."